5 people stabbed in knifing attack in Amsterdam
In this DML Report…
Five people were injured in a mass stabbing near Amsterdam’s Dam Square on March 27, shortly before 3:30 p.m. local time, with Dutch police arresting one suspect at the scene. The attack occurred in the city’s historic center, a busy tourist area, near Sint Nicolaasstraat, where witnesses reported an elderly woman stabbed in the back and a student-aged boy among the victims. Amsterdam police quickly cordoned off the area, halting tram services between Amsterdam Centraal and Dam Square, while an air ambulance landed outside the Royal Palace to transport the wounded to hospitals.
Details from the scene paint a grim picture: a shop employee told Algemeen Dagblad that customers saw the elderly woman collapse after being stabbed, and local media noted multiple attack locations near Dam Square. The suspect was apprehended with help from a civilian, though police have not released the individual’s identity or confirmed social media claims about the attacker’s profile. As of 2:00 p.m. EDT on March 27, authorities have not determined a motive, with initial reports of five victims adjusted to four plus the injured suspect, per updated police statements.
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The rapid response included 14 police cars and a motorcycle officer arriving within 15 minutes, alongside emergency crews treating victims on-site. Mayor Femke Halsema was pulled from a council meeting to address the incident, which remains under investigation. The stabbing adds to recent concerns over knife violence in the Netherlands, though no official link to terrorism or other patterns has been established. Police continue to probe the cause as the injured receive medical care, with the suspect in custody facing charges pending further evidence.